LG G5 hands-on: great phone, pointless peripherals

The LG G5 is a confusing creation. The flagship phone, likely to cost in the region of £500, seemingly isn't complete without the addition of bulky add-ons. While undoubtedly the most eye-catching phone announced at MWC 2016, its actual usefulness is questionable.

The standalone phone is an impressive piece of design; its sleek and well-specced with a decent camera and excellent screen. Like pretty much every other phone debuting at MWC it is an iterative upgrade on what's already available. Until you get to the accessories.

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LG's modular add-ons, which it calls Friends, add extra functions to the phone. The LG Cam Plus boosts battery life from 2,800mAh to 4,000mAh, adds physical shutter and video recording buttons, an LED flash and a physical zoom dial. It also adds considerably to the size and weight of an otherwise svelte handset.

LG's camera module adds battery life (and bulk) to the G5

James Temperton/WIRED

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The tangible benefits of the accessory, beyond the battery boost, are dubious. While a physical camera button is handy, a zoom wheel and video recording button verge on pointless when identical touchscreen buttons lie just inches away.

The Bang & Olufsen-powered LG Hi-Fi Plus adds a 32-bit DAC and amplifier to boost audio quality. While not as bulky as the camera module, it still adds to the size and weight of the phone. And it rather ruins the design: the LG G5 comes in gold, silver, dark grey and pink -- the Hi-Fi Plus is matte black. It also comes with a pair of H3 B&O Play earphones. There's no word on price for either add-on.

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LG has removed the app drawer from its custom version of Android

James Temperton/WIRED

The mechanism for attaching 'Friends' is neat enough: the bottom of the phone pops away, with modules then attaching to a sturdy connector. LG hasn't announced any other modules and it wouldn't be entirely surprising to see them fade into the ether a few months after launch.

As a standalone flagship Android phone the LG G5 is impressive. It runs on Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 820 chipset and 4GB of RAM, so performance is decent. There are also two cameras: a regular 16MP one and an 8MP, 135-degree wide angle for shooting big scenes. The screen, with a resolution of 2560 x 1440, remains one of the best in the business.

The LG G5 has a 5.3in display with a resolution of 2560x1440

James Temperton/WIRED

Small changes have also been made to LG's custom Android interface. Out goes the app-drawer, in comes an iPhone-inspired set of home screens. An 'always on' display function also shows the time and date, even when the G5 is in sleep mode.

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The level of interest in the LG G5 at MWC 2016 is symptomatic of a smartphone industry widely devoid of innovation. But other than being eye-catching, LG's add-ons are pretty pointless.

Think of it this way: why would someone spending £500 on a phone want to spend extra on shoddy accessories? Budget modular smartphones make sense, but at the high-end a phone's speakers and camera controls should already be near-enough perfect.

Expect the LG G5 to receive rave reviews, but don't expect many people to shell out for gimmicky accessories.